The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner [Review]

Alan Garner is an author I’d never really heard of until a few years ago, and my only attempt to read on of his books last year (The Owl Service) ended when I just couldn’t get into the book and gave up after only 50 pages or so.

But this year is the 50th Anniversary of this his first book, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, and the publisher Harper Collins sent me the paperback of it and the sequel a couple of weeks ago and after seeing almost universal love for the book I was more than prepared to give him another go.

Then, they went and sent me the gorgeous special edition hardback. And well what was I supposed to do? 😉

Brother and sister Colin and Susan are sent to live with an old friend of their mother’s for six months whilst she joins their father overseas.

They soon get to exporing the woods and moors surounding the farm on which they are staying, they encounter a strange woman at the gates to the farm, and later an old wizard called Cadellin.

Cadellin, tells the children about the company of 140 sleeping knights he overseas, deep under Alderly. Waiting out the centuries until they are once again needed. And of the missing Wierdstone, a jewel linked to the magic that bound the knights to their task in the first place.

Susan realises that the small teardrop gem from her bracelet, a bracelet that was handed down to Susan, through her mother’s freinds family, is the missing Wierdstone. Only before they can get word to Cadellin, its stolen.

So they set out to find it, and return it to the old wizard, before the evil that seeks to use it for their own nefarious ends, is able to do so.

It goes without saying that this is a journey that will be fraught with danger!

They soon get to exporing the woods and moors surounding the farm on which they are staying, they encounter a strange woman at the gates to the farm, and later an old wizard called Cadellin.

Cadellin, tells the children about the company of 140 sleeping knights he overseas, deep under ALderly. Waiting out the centuries until they are once again needed. And of the missing Wierdstone, a jewel linked to the magic that bound the knights to their task in the first place.

Susan realises that the small teardrop gem from her bracelet, a bracelet that was handed down to Susan, through her mother’s freinds family, is the missing Wierdstone. Only before they can get word to Cadellin, its stolen.

So they set out to find it, and return it to the old wizard, before the evil that seeks to use it for their own nefarious ends, is able to do so.

It goes without saying that this is a journey that will be fraught with danger!

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, is a proper old style fantasy, with wizards, dwarves and elves, mixed in with loads of local mythology. Reading it was like wrapping yourself in a favourite old quilt in front of the fire on a Sunday afternoon. 🙂 One of the things I noticed when reading it, was just how nice it was to read a fantasy novel, without an overwrought love affair/triangle getting in the way! 😉

Many thanks to Harper Collins for sending me this one, I had a wonderful couple of days reading it. 🙂

Hi, great review, I’m not 100% sure whether I’ve read this book, but i have read and re-read Alan Garner’s Elidor. I loved it when i was 10 and still love it now.
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How funny, I’ve just read this myself! But I haven’t gotten around to reviewing it because I am a lazy blogger 😛 I also read it because of the 50th anniversary – I didn’t get a fancy hardback (sniff 😉 ), but I had the chance to visit a commemorative exhibition in Chester, and that inspired me to pick it up. Like you I enjoyed it a whole lot, but not quite as much as The Owl Service, I have to say 😉Nymeth recently posted…The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters